The UFC 2024 Seasonal press conference last year witnessed a brawl between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis during UFC 296. It is widely known that ‘Tarzan’ threw the first punch, however, according to Alexander Volkanovski’s jiu-jitsu coach Craig Jones, the reigning middleweight champion also tried to bite ‘Stillknocks’. During an incident discussion on the B-Team Jiu Jitsu YouTube channel, grappler Jones mentioned that during the scramble, Strickland went for a Mike Tyson earbite as they got separated.
While Jones initially thought he was imagining the incident, Strickland later admitted to trying to bite du Plessis during an interview with comedian Theo Von. Strickland stated, “I’m soo happy they didn’t get it from the right angle. I bit him… I remember at that moment, I started thinking like, ‘How could I hurt this man? I going to take a chunk out. I’m going to bite his ear off.”
In the upcoming UFC 297 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Strickland is set to defend his title against du Plessis. According to the oddsmakers, ‘Tarzan’ is a -130 favorite over the South African challenger who holds a position as a +110 underdog for the matchup.
Several MMA professionals have weighed in on the Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis bout in the first UFC pay-per-view of 2024. In a recent interview, former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis believed Strickland’s commendable work ethic would lead him to victory. He praised Strickland for his daily intense training at Xtream Couture. On the other hand, Scottish grappling phenom Paul Craig thought du Plessis’s unorthodox style would present problems for the champion, favoring the challenger.
Chase Hooper also opined that Strickland’s style was so unique that only standout talents like Khamzat Chimaev had a chance against him. The outcome of the highly anticipated match remains to be seen.
